RENTON, Wash. — The basketball hoop within the auditorium on the Virginia Mason Athletic Middle, a fixture through the Pete Carroll period and maybe the constructing’s most distinguished image of it, is not there.
The Seattle Seahawks aren’t scrubbing all of their previous head coach’s fingerprints from workforce headquarters, however they will not have Mike Macdonald tackle his gamers each day with a reminder of his predecessor actually hanging over his head.
The absence of the ring, like having a brand new coach after Carroll’s 14-year run on the helm, will take some getting used to.
“That was the weirdest factor,” quarterback Geno Smith mentioned, “as a result of I actually walked over there to seize a basketball and I used to be like, ‘It is not even there.'”
Smith spoke to reporters final week as Seahawks gamers returned to the power for the beginning of their offseason program. The voluntary exercises mark the unofficial starting of the Macdonald period, and arguably nobody has extra at stake with a brand new coach than Smith.
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Think about that Carroll was maybe Smith’s greatest supporter within the constructing, the one who named him the starter in 2022 regardless of a lot of the group anticipating Drew Lock to win the job — a call that set the stage for Smith’s resurgent season — after which defended him at each flip throughout his up-and-down 2023. Additionally think about that authority over personnel selections within the Seahawks’ post-Carroll energy construction now belongs to basic supervisor John Schneider, who not too long ago traded for Sam Howell and has brazenly talked about the potential of taking one other quarterback in subsequent week’s NFL draft.
Whereas Carroll cited quarterback as a workforce power in his end-of-season feedback, each Macdonald and Schneider initially sounded non-committal on Smith earlier than declaring him their starter as soon as they acquired Howell.
Certainly, so much modified for Smith when Carroll was fired.
“That day is a day I am going to in all probability bear in mind perpetually simply due to how issues occurred for me right here,” mentioned Smith, who was among the many workforce workers who packed the auditorium for Carroll’s emotional farewell press convention on Jan. 10. “Clearly Coach Carroll, an enormous affect on my profession, helped me out a bunch after I got here to this group and actually … thrust me into this highlight that I am in now. So for me it was … only a horrible second to see somebody that I like a lot, having to half methods with him.
“However that is the way in which of the NFL, that is the way in which issues go and I am very excited for what we’ve right here now and simply the route we’re heading in.”
Regardless of the tough patches that Smith and Seattle’s offense skilled final season, he nonetheless completed 14th in QBR (59.5). That was down from seventh (62.8) in 2022, when he made the Professional Bowl on the preliminary poll and received NFL Comeback Participant of the Yr.
Whereas the offensive line stays a query after struggling in 2023, there are causes to be optimistic about Smith’s prospects for a bounce-back season. After ending 2023 with the NFL’s finest QBR (81.5) over the ultimate six weeks, he’ll have his prime 4 targets returning, with Seattle re-signing tight finish Noah Fant and agreeing to a restructured cope with receiver Tyler Lockett.
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The Seahawks might be operating a brand new scheme below Ryan Grubb, who oversaw one of many nation’s most prolific offenses because the College of Washington’s offensive coordinator the previous two seasons. The Huskies scored 36.7 offensive factors per sport over that point, sixth within the FBS. Seattle might improve the inside of its underperforming line by drafting Troy Fautanu, who starred for Grubb and new OL coach Scott Huff on the UW and has been a preferred mock choice to Seattle at choose No. 16.
“I’d say it is fairly advanced,” Smith mentioned of Grubb’s offense. “There’s lots of quantity. Lots of verbiage. Lots of completely different performs. Lots of completely different ideas, protections and all these issues. That is factor.”
Smith, 33, has two years remaining on the three-year, $75 million deal he signed final March. The Seahawks created $4.8 million in cap house in February after they transformed his $9.6 million March roster bonus right into a signing bonus. That elevated his 2025 cap quantity to $38.5 million, which might balloon by as a lot as $15 million extra with escalators tied to how Smith and the Seahawks carry out this season.
Requested if there was ever a degree this offseason through which he thought he may not stay in Seattle in 2024, Smith mentioned, “No, by no means.”
The Seahawks have been by no means going to chop Smith earlier than his $12.7 million base wage grew to become absolutely assured on Feb. 16, however there have been indicators suggesting they could have been open to buying and selling him earlier than free company. The primary time they publicly dedicated to Smith as their starter in 2024 wasn’t till they traded for Howell 4 days after the beginning of the negotiating interval, by which level probably the most real looking window to deal him had closed.
Whereas the Seahawks have made it clear that Howell is the backup, Schneider mentioned on the mix he “completely” believes he is a No. 1-caliber quarterback, noting how he is solely 23 years previous and has 18 profession begins.
“New teaching workers, previous teaching workers — I’ve received every part to show,” Smith mentioned. “That is each day. That is the way in which I get up each day. I am competing with Sam. I do know he is competing with me. I wish to compete my butt off. I am competing with all people on this constructing to be one of the best that I could be, so I actually do not method it some other approach.”
A part of the Seahawks’ motivation for buying Howell after dropping Lock to the Giants in free company, in line with Schneider, was that they felt their flexibility to commerce up within the draft could be restricted since they do not at present personal a second-round choose. However taking a quarterback subsequent week, even perhaps sooner or later on Day 2, remains to be not out of the query.
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Throughout his Seattle Sports activities 710-AM radio present final week, Schneider confirmed reviews that the Seahawks not too long ago hosted Oregon’s Bo Nix and South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler — projected to be taken within the second and third spherical, respectively, within the newest alternating mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Discipline Yates — on “30 visits” on the VMAC. He joked that they nonetheless do their homework on quarterback prospects regardless of drafting solely two over his 14 years in Seattle.
“Spencer’s an actual spectacular man and so is Bo,” Schneider mentioned. “We simply wished to have the ability to spend somewhat bit extra time with these guys, have the coaches be capable of spend somewhat bit extra time with them on the board. You wish to be cautious of their time as nicely. They’re out right here on West Coast visits, so we attempt to set these up after they’re visiting the Rams, the Chargers or the Niners and attempt to match these in.
“We love Sam [Howell], we love what we did with the ability to purchase Sam. We talked in regards to the age, he is received the expertise, however that does not preclude us from what we do within the draft.”
If Schneider and Macdonald do spend an early choose on a quarterback, the query of Smith’s future in Seattle past 2024 would turn into much more fascinating.
“I am simply in that progress mindset,” Smith mentioned, citing one in all Macdonald’s go-to phrases.
“All the things’s received to enhance. I’ve received to be a greater participant, higher chief, I’ve received to do every part higher. I am by no means going to take a look at it and say I am a completed product. I am nonetheless getting higher at 33, about to be 34. And I really feel like I’ve by no means been higher. So I’ve simply received to maintain working, maintain pushing myself and see the place I find yourself.”